[Costs of Saudi Arabia's Neom green hydrogen mega-project soar by $3.5 billion] Budgets for the Neom green hydrogen mega-project, which will tap vast green energy capacity, have soared 70% to $8.5 billion, according to a financial update from co-developer Air Products. Inflation, spare parts, land upfront costs and interest on a $1 billion loan all contributed to the $3.5 billion budget increase the company is developing in the deserts of northwestern Saudi Arabia with partner ACWA Power, a Saudi renewable energy development Merchant and Neom. Editor/Xing Wentao

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• 2026.03.17 14:24
• [Expand cross-border trade facilitation pilot to 45 cities by 2026]
• On March 16, 2026, the General Administration of Customs, together with 24 departments including the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, jointly deployed a six-month special action plan for cross-border trade facilitation in 2026. Sun Meijun, Director General of the General Administration of Customs, pointed out at the deployment meeting that this year's special action pilot cities will further expand their encirclement and capacity, adding 20 cities including Hohhot, Changchun, Suzhou, Jinhua, Quanzhou, Nanchang, Yantai, Wuhan, Changsha, Zhuhai, Nanning, Kunming, and Xi'an, bringing the total number of participating cities to 45. The action focuses on key tasks such as optimizing and upgrading goods trade, vigorously developing service trade, and innovating the development of digital trade and green trade. It has launched a new round of policies to assist enterprises, including deepening the innovation of import and export customs clearance supervision mode, optimizing the supervision and services of new foreign trade formats, improving cross-border logistics transportation efficiency, and strengthening the construction of smart export ports. Editor/Cheng Liting

• 2026.03.17 11:05
• [The US Embassy in Iraq was attacked multiple times at night]
• In the early morning of the 17th local time, the US Embassy in Iraq in the "Green Zone" of the Iraqi capital Baghdad was attacked, and some facilities inside the embassy caught fire. From the evening of the 16th to the early morning of the 17th, the US Embassy in Iraq has been attacked multiple times.Editor/Gong Ziwei